


Venom

by pwoperdiana



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Rap Battles, Sorry Not Sorry, Symbiote Lim Changkyun, Underground Rapper Lee Jooheon, Why Did I Write This?, i am what i am, jookyun - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-09-23 09:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17077667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pwoperdiana/pseuds/pwoperdiana
Summary: You are mine.We bonded by destiny, now you belong to me.We share everything, thoughts, feelings, and purpose....





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started to write this when I watched Venom months ago and now that Changkyun mentioned Venom on the MTV interview I decided to finish it 호호...

Another performance ended. He had gone on stage and had done what only he knew to do but seemed like people there were looking for something more mainstream to enjoy their drinks and cheap talks, resulting on a lame crowd so unengaged it had made Jooheon pissed. He was finally tasting the glory of having his own presentations as a solo rapper, but things were not going exactly as he expected. He had the talent, he had the wit and charm, but he was treated just like an average underground. People there were a bunch of ignorant. They didn't know how to appreciate nor recognize a diamond when they see one.

He stepped out of the pub through the backdoor to breathe fresh air without being disturbed by the loud pop music booming inside the place. Surrounded only by darkness, the man found himself stood in a lonely alley where just people who fear nothing would dare to walk by at that time. It seemed like the moon had decided to hide that night, not even a single star lit up the dark sky.

The cold night breeze pierced through his bones. Winter was just around the corner and nights were getting colder than usual. His white shirt soaked in sweat was stuck to his skin making him shiver, so he zipped up his black leather jacket and sought for a pack of cigarettes on his pockets.

Covering the lighter from the wind with his hand, he lit a cigarette to warm himself and release some stress.

Jooheon took the first drag and let the smoke run free from his nostrils. The taste of nicotine hit him as he started to relax. The only noise that could be heard was the music resonating from inside the pub and cars passing by the main street once in a while, where the alley reached his end.

His phone started ringing and he took it looking at the screen; he hesitated for a few seconds but ended up picking up the call.

“Hey”

“Hey Jooheon, are you still at the Interstellar?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Hope you get well rest then. Tomorrow at the Spotlight, 8 pm okay?” The old man talked fast, ordering him around without considering whether he had the time or the desire to work.

“Man..”

“Hey don’t get low, it’ll get better tomorrow, trust me. So 8 pm okay? You know the address?”

“Yeah, whatever, I’ll be there.”

“Go home, get a shower, rest well and see you there.” The old man hung up leaving him with his complaints between his teeth. That dude was an asshole but the asshole that got him the places to start earning a living.

Jooheon took another drag from his cigarette but he felt it was not being enough to get at ease quickly. He rummaged inside his pockets until he found what he was looking for. It was a little green pill, just for emergencies, he was not a junkie of course. Not yet at least.

He put the pill inside his mouth and swallow it just like that. Jooheon felt as his blood started running through his veins warming his body and making him felt better. As he blinked his vision was getting blurry for a few seconds, it was maybe because of the smoke of his cigarette, or maybe because of the drinks he had taken before he went on stage, or maybe it was the pill. Who cares, it felt good.

He suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the dumpsters beside him. Maybe it was a cat. He walked a step towards them and tried to focus his vision to see in the darkness surrounding the place, it was thick as fog and his over-excited senses where not reliable that night.

He caught a glimpse of a black fluid coming down one dump, it was like blood. No. It was something else, the thing seemed to have his own movement, it had tangles around it and they were moving like tentacles. He startled and stepped back, trying to watch properly. Quickly he took out his phone and lit up the lamp from the flash, pointing at the dumpsters but nothing was there. He turned off the light and rubbed his eyes, definitely that shit he took was stronger than usual.

Jooheon took the last drag from his cigarette and throw it to the floor to turn it off with his boot sole but he wasn’t able to move his foot. When he looked down he found the black thing on his boot going up through his leg. He freaked out and started to shake his leg vigorously. That thing felt cold and was sneaking under his pants, he started to shake and jolt but it was sticky as glue.

Then he tried to grab it with his hands but it disappeared completely under his pants and kept going up over his body. Jooheon threw his jacket and started to undress but when the thing arrived at his chest he started to feel a strong pain that made him squirm.

It was burning, everything was burning. He opened his shirt and screamed from the pain torturing his body. The black fluid started to merge under his skin, it became one with him and started to vanish, his chest recovered his usual paid skin color. Just like that, the pain disappeared along with the thing over his chest. He felt on his knees and tried to recover his breath. It was the weirdest thing he had ever felt.

The night breeze hit him hard when he realized his chest was exposed and his jacket tossed in the floor next to him. He tried to stand up but he was feeling weak, he had to help himself placing a hand on the wall and standing slowly. He bottomed his shirt and grabbed his jacket. Warming his body as he crossed his arms and rubbed them with his hands. That's why he didn't do drugs often.

He took another cigarette from his pocket and light it up. It would better if he went home. He entered the pub and left by the front door to take his motorcycle but he still was feeling kinda dizzy.

The redhead turned his motorcycle on and the roar from the motor brought him back to his senses. He felt alive and dead at the same time.

The motorcycle began to run and Jooheon started to doze off. When the traffic light turned red and he didn't stop at the signal, something inside him made him press the brakes and his body shook in an unusual way.

His hands were firmly grabbed at the wheel, but he felt as he was not the one controlling his body as if an external force was guiding him during that dark night.

When arrived at his apartment he was so wasted he just threw himself on his bed and fell asleep.

 

_I’m hungry._

_Wake up, I need to eat._

_Bones, blood, meat._

_What a delicious meal._

 

_Stars, the night sky, a dark alley by the roadside._

 

_Jooheon was tired but he was earnestly looking for something. He was thirsty and it was dark. He could barely see anything. He suddenly found himself surrounded by trees and in the dark sky a full moon appeared like a spotlight. Corpses, skulls and a river of blood laid at his feet, everything seemed so delicious. Without hesitation he grabbed a piece of meat and shoved it inside his mouth. Then another and another, the feast had no end. When he was about to finish the last remaining bones he saw himself reflected on the river of blood. His face wasn’t his face, he was something out of this world, his face was dark, his nose was barely visible like the one of a snake and his eyes were two long white cavities. Then a smile he didn’t purposely make reflected on the red pond. A row of big sharp teeth and a long tongue protruded from his mouth making the most horrible expression he had ever seen._

 

Jooheon woke up startled and frightened, covered in cold sweat. His heart was running a race. He took his hand to his forehead and it was burning even though he was only wearing his shirt and his pants. His stomach was making noises from hunger, so he ignored his temperature and walked to the kitchen.

His fridge welcomed him with cans of beer and soda, leftovers of pizza and ramen and frozen meat.

_Meat._

His usual unnoticeable voice from his thoughts sounded different, as if someone else would have whispered the word, but he himself was craving that meat. No time to cook it, he just removed the plastic bag and shoved a little portion of the meat in his mouth, one after another until he finished.

_I’m thirsty._

There wasn’t a lot to do, He grabbed a can of coke and gulp down the soda. Then he went back to sleep.

The next day Jooheon woke up past noon. Even though, he felt as he just had barely had a few hours of sleep. He had been dreaming of that weird creature but the dreams had been less scary than the first one.

He took a shower and kept noticing weird things with every activity he used to do on his daily life. The shower faucet that was usually stuck had been easy to turn then and because of the extra force he used to apply on it, he ended up breaking it. Then when he was putting on his clothes he felt his t-shirt tight, as if his muscle mass had suddenly increased.

He went out to a fast food restaurant due to the lack of food at his apartment and time and eat some noodles but he ended up even hungrier. _What the hell is wrong with me._

There was no doubt something weird was happening to him. Maybe he was getting sick or it was still the side effects from the drug he took last night but something was off. He should call his friend Kihyun who worked in a hospital to ask him about his symptoms, but that night he had work to do.

At 7:00 pm he arrived at the Spotlight just as he had promised, arriving early to take some drinks before getting on stage in front of another row of bored people. Rap what his passion, he was a great rapper, just the things weren’t working in those kinds of picky places. When he had given his first presentation in front of his classmates in high school everyone had got crazy. His best friend Minhyuk absolutely loved it and always encouraged him to follow his dream and hit the big places.

He got a drink from the bartender and practiced some freestyle on his mind to warm up.

“Hey Jooheon, you’re here.” An old man put a hand on his shoulder and greeted him. It was the old man that called him yesterday, you could call it his manager.

“I’m here Sir.”

“Ready? I promise today would be great. Big fishes used to come here to take a drink a hunt underground talent just like you.” His manager spoke closer to his ear.

“I’ll do my best as always”

“That’s what I wanted to hear!” He liked the enthusiasm in his manager words but sometimes he felt it a little bit hypocritical.

He went backstage to get ready.

_This is gonna be fun._

His new inner voice whispered inside him. It was weird, but he felt reassurance somehow.

When the previous act, who was a young man singing random love songs finished the presenter announced him as the rap revelation Lee Jooheon.

He jumped out to the stage with his usual big energy and his fierce look starting to spit fire from his mouth, his sharp words danced with the catchy beat of the first composition he ever made.

In the middle of the song he used to have a freestyle part and changed it according to the place or his mood, but this time when the part was about to come, he felt superior energy growing from the inside and taking over him. He felt his lungs about to burst and a rough baritone voice he didn’t know he could make, escaped through his vocal cords. The words he was spitting weren’t his, they came from another person, another person inside him, a person he didn’t know. But it was good, the rime and the rhythm. The crowd was enlivened, people were moving their heads along with the beat and cheering him up.

When he finished the song a round of applause filled the place, but he felt too tired and shocked to continue, so he bowed to the crowd and run backstage to the bathroom.

_What are you doing? We killed it, and this was just starting._

Jooheon closed the door behind him and walked to the sink to wash his face. He was sweating again. He rubbed his eyes to remove the water around them and looked himself in the mirror.

“What is happening to me. Who are you?” He spoke out loud with his reflection. His red hair was all wet from his sweat.

As he finished to spoke his sentence a black and thick substance such as slime began to cover his face. He wasn’t able to move, he wasn’t the one controlling his body.

When the black tangles finished covering his face the creature of his dreams was looking at him from inside the mirror. No, the creature wasn’t looking at him, he was the creature. 

_I am you and you are mine now._

The creature, he, spoke making a deep rough voice, with his long sharpened teeth, making that creepy smile like the one he saw on his dream. 

“What are you?” This time it was his own voice. He wasn’t scared anymore, he was mad, who the fuck was that thing taking over his body? 

_I am what I am._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might write another chapter if you are interested because I need more Symbiote Changkyun. Let me know your thoughts!


	2. Pt. 2

Jooheon had left the stage after abruptly finishing his performance, too shocked and bewildered to even apologize with his manager. He walked out by the back door and rode his motorcycle, driving away until he heard the voice inside his head again.

_Where are we going?_

He was driving so fast he didn't notice when a traffic light changed to red and his body had to brake by its own as the force inside him took control. He startled.

_Be careful._

His phone had been ringing a thousand times, his manager probably wondering where the hell he was.

Jooheon kept on driving even faster, the cold breeze hitting his face as he felt the adrenaline only speed can give you, running through his veins. The night sky, once again, was being the only witness of his jam.

He used to like looking at the night sky when he was a child. There was something soothing and calming in black things, in the absence of color, in loneliness, in the void; it always pulled him back to his senses.  

He wasn’t driving anywhere in particular, but he finally stopped when he arrived at the harbor, his favorite place in the city. Hopping off his motorcycle, the redhead took out his phone from his jacket and looked at the 11 missing calls when it began to ring again. He answered the call with anger in his voice.

“What?!”

'What do you mean by what? Where are you?” his manager was definitely pissed.

“I left the place, I'm not feeling well.” he sentenced with the authority that _your health first_ always offered as an alibi.

“You left the crowd craving for more, they're requesting your contact info like crazy, so you better come back now.”

“I…”

Jooheon was surprised, did he actually left the crowd wishing to see more, to listening to him more? He knew he was capable of, but this…

“I... I don't think I can come back now, give them my contact and I'll call you later.”

The redhead hung up the call before regretting what he had just done and let himself lay on the wet wood of the harbor. He needed to fix himself first.

_I told you it was going to be great._

“Why are you inside me?” There it was again, but he was not going to be able to ignore that thing inside him forever, and he needed to negotiate his freedom, so better trying to make it quick.

_I need you to survive, and now it seems like you need me to succeed._

What? “I don't need _you_ to succeed! It was a matter of time and place that people recognize my talent.” But Jooheon knew he had not been the one to make the last part of his show, he had even used English words and he only knew how to introduce himself in that language, but no more.

_But I'd help you big back there, we made a great team._

Jooheon lay down stretching his arms and cupped his nape with his hands to lean over them. He felt weird, but not weirdly uncomfortable. It was like talking alone, but out loud. And he wasn't alone. Or maybe he was, and he had gone completely crazy.

_“_ Why do you need me to survive? You haven't told me what you are yet.”

_I'm.. not from this world. I'm a wanderer. I was._

A wanderer? What did it mean? Anyone would have thought it was like a disease, but Jooheon felt it different, more like a someone than something, and he was eager to find out what that thing was.

“Is the real you like the one I saw in the mirror?”

_When I'm with a human, yes._

“So you've been inside other species?”

_Not exactly._

“So why do you call yourself a wanderer?”

_Because I've been aimlessly wandering my whole life._

“Can you spill the tea already? I'm getting tired of asking questions.”

_I told you, now you're mine, deal with it. I'm not going anywhere. So far I like being inside you._

“What?” That's sounded gross, “You’re pissing me off. I'm not living with you inside me.”

_You’re doing it right now._

Jooheon got scared for a second. What if that thing was a parasite and was going to live at his body expenses and then left him to die when he finished? Or what if the thing got mad and ate him alive? Or what if it was a devil spirit controlling him? He used to go to the church with his mama when he was little, and those things scare him the most. But as he grew up he realized those things were just a misinterpretation of mental illness. But what if they were actually real?

He needed to cooperate and try to be nice to know better who or what that thing was.

“The thing we did back there, the rap you did.. I really liked it, was awesome actually. Where did you learn it?” He was genuinely curious; it would be a good start to get to know each other. If _it_ empathized with him he would be able to save himself from danger, at least for now.

_Where I used to live it was really popular, we listened to it a lot so I think it started to grow on me._

“We?” would there be more of him? Jooheon was assuming it was a _he_ , because that's how it sounded inside his head; low pitch deep voice.

_The last human I lived with._

Okay, that sounded like something with a shitty background. “What happened to him?”

_Enough talking I’m hungry_

What? Jooheon felt his arm growing big and becoming a long black tangle. His arm traveled at the speed of light and got hold of a bird which was just flying by the harbor.

He felt himself falling into the deepest abysm inside himself. His arm returned to his normal size, but now his whole body was completely covered in black as if he had a new rough and thick threaded skin.

His arm moved to his mouth and took a bite of the bird, tearing off his head and shoving it into his mouth. He strangely enjoyed the feeling of bones breaking as he was chewing them. The taste of raw meat and hot blood from a living thing was better than a beer after a hard work journey, and that was a lot to say because beer was his favorite drink in the world.

He felt as if the thing controlling him was giving him a warning. A warning that _it_ was indeed controlling him.

His body came back to its normal state as he felt control of his limbs again. He took his hand to wipe his mouth, but it wasn’t dirty from the blood, though the taste was still in his tongue.

“That's not the way how we'll do it.” He sentenced expecting that it wouldn't do that again.

_I follow my impulses._

“Well, not in my body please.”

_Okay_

There was something in the way the thing was behaving; if it meant to hurt him, it would have already done it. 

“Good.”

...

“How should I call you?” 

_I.M_

“I am? Why?”

_Because I am, or maybe here I'm not, but I still am._

“Okay I am, are you going to tell me what you are or not? We'll be living together as I concern, so why don't you tell me everything about you? You already now a few things about me, I deserve reciprocity”

_I'm… different to anything you have ever seen._

“Yes, you are.” That was obvious. “But why are you... here?”

_It wasn't my choice, but now this is my choice. I'm staying with you._

“Oh thank you for considering my own choice.”

_Let's go home._

“What?” That thing was bossy.

_Let me take you home._

“No, we need to talk first.”

_We'll talk later._

Jooheon lost control over his body and stood up as his limbs once again became slicky black and unearthly. He walked to his motorcycle and hopped in grabbing the wheel. As much as he tried to take control he couldn’t, it was impossible.

_Hold on tight._

“Wha…?”

He started the motorcycle as he pressed the throttle and started to drive, speeding up every second as he left the harbor and got in the streets.

“You’re going too fast.”

_You love speed, don’t you?_

He or _him_ held on tight to the grip and accelerated even faster, speeding up his way through his apartment. When they found a traffic red light I.M ignored it, and when they had to turn to the right or left his body almost touched the floor as they skidded off due to the speed, but he felt powerful as if he was capable to do anything he wanted, as if his body was unbreakable.

They finally skidded to a halt when they reached the building where he lived and Jooheon returned to the surface, trying to recover his breath.  

_I know you liked it. Everyone enjoys power._

And I.M was right. It was something he could get used to.

Jooheon staggered into his apartment and ran to its fridge, yanking the door open and getting hold of a can of beer. He drank it all in one gulp and ended up taking another. Then he walked to his room and let himself fall on his bed. The bed mattress felt so good he was lulled into a drowse and soon lost himself in his dreams.

 

**…**

 

“Joohoney you haven’t answered my calls, are you ok?”

Kihyun was standing by the door frame staring at him with concern. Jooheon had been sleeping two days straight since the last time and his phone had run out of battery, so he understood why his friend was so worried he had even left work to pay him a visit.

“I was.. sleeping.” Big eyebags on his face were proving him wrong, but it was the truth, he had just woken up to eat whatever and hear I.M. complaining and go back to sleep. His head was throbbing and his body in pain, his eyes hurt as he tried to open them or when he faced light. His clothes stunk due to his sweat and his hair looked like a nest.

“Let me in, I brought you proper food.”

Kihyun made himself into the room and stood stunned as he watched the living room made a mess. Broken furniture and piled up trash scattered on the floor.

“What happened here? Gosh, do you ever clean?”

_Who is this noisy fella?_

“Kihyun, my friend.” Jooheon muttered as he yawned. Kihyun turned to Jooheon quivering a brow.

“Yes?”

“Ah.. nothing.” Right, Kihyun wasn’t able to hear I.M. He would think he was crazy.

Kihyun almost tripped with a chair and stumbled when he was walking toward the fridge. He opened the door and grumbled. “How can you live like this?” The man turned to look for a plastic bag in the shelving and dumped all the empty cans of beer and rotten leftovers inside. Then he placed his bag with fresh food inside, all while Jooheon was just standing by the kitchen frame staring at him, idle.

“Let me see you properly.” Kihyun walked over Jooheon and cupped his chin as he closed the distance between their faces and narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing every inch of his face as if that tiny man was his mom.

_He is too close._

Jooheon knew Kihyun since they were kids and he had always worried about him. Maybe this was his chance to talk with someone about what was happening to him. Kihyun was the smartest person he knew, and he happened to be a Doctor and one of his trusted friends, but what if Kihyun wanted to take him to the hospital and locked him in a psychiatric asylum. He was a man of science and he would not believe him. But still…

“You know, I’ve been feeling weird the last few days.”

“What’s wrong? What do you feel?” Kihyun’s eyes widened.

_Are you sick?_

Yes, I’m sick because of you!

“My head hurts, and I feel like I’m stronger than before… It’s weird, I’m hungry all the time.”

“Okay, yeah it’s weird. Let me check your temperature and blood pressure.” They walked over the narrow living room and sat as Kihyun took out of his briefcase a stethoscope. His friend carefully placed the cold metal stethoscope over his chest and proceeded to take all his vital signs.

“Everything seems fine, what else do you feel?”

“I’ve..” been hearing voices of someone who is not from this world inside me, he controls me and makes me eat raw meat. “been feeling drowsy.. I think I suffered from hallucinations.”

_What are you talking about?_

“Maybe we’ll need to take a magnetic resonance, we’ll never know if it’s something serious here, without the proper equipment. Do you wanna go to the hospital for a better checkup? I can take you there now.”

_Hospital? For what? We’re fine, we just need to eat more and take a shower, maybe hang out instead of sleeping the whole day._

“Ah… maybe later, right now I’m a mess.” Jooheon excused. What if I.M. got mad and decided to attack Kihyun?

“I can wait for you to take a quick shower and change your clothes.”

“I don’t think that it’s that serious, I might have been really drunk. I can go any other day.” Kihyun nodded.

“You look kinda built up though, have you been exercising? Maybe that's why you're feeling like that.”

“What?” Jooheon looked at his arms, and they definitely were not like that before, his muscles were swollen and worked up. Maybe his fantasy of becoming all athletic by just sleeping had finally come true.

“Please don’t overdo yourself and eat something else than beer and dumplings.” Kihyun stood as he shoved his things inside his briefcase.

_What is a dumpling?_

“Ok.” Jooheon walked Kihyun to the door.

“I gotta go now, please take care. Minhyuk is worried because you haven’t answered his calls.”

“Oh Minhyukie..” Jooheon had completely forgotten about Minhyuk, he felt guilty. “I’ll call him later.”

_Who is Minhyuk?_

“Please call me if you need anything, and clean your house!”

“See you around, thanks.” Jooheon closed the door after Kihyun left and looked at the mess he had inside. He needed to fix his life, take control and take advantage of the situation.

“Hey, I.M, what other things can you do?”

_What? Oh, besides from living inside a living thing and control it I can give my host strength and another kind of abilities when needed, like extra limbs._

“Perfect. Can you make two or three arms more? We need to clean what you’ve done.”

 

As days went by, Jooheon was getting used to living with the advantages of having I.M inside him. He was faster and skillfully performed his daily activities. Now that he didn’t need to work out he had extra free time to write lyrics and practice his stage performances.

It turned out that I.M came from Boston, where he lived the past 3 years inside a man who spent his days on the suburbs listening to rap and working as a secret agent for the FBI, but he got killed during a secret mission in South Korea. They had been herded into a trap by the mafia, locked inside a warehouse with carbon monoxide in the air. Due to the lack of oxygen, I.M hadn’t been able to save his host, but he managed to survive and got inside one of the men from the mafia. He later had taken revenge on all of them; he had controlled the man to kill his partners in crime and then committed suicide, taking the risk it had to kill his host. Then he escaped from the scene and ended up inside a dog to survive; that’s how he was in the dumpsters where he had found Jooheon. I.M called it destiny; he had been on the verge of death when he heard the voice of a man speaking on the phone. He dragged himself to that sign and now they were together. Jooheon had saved him.

He said there were cases when men couldn’t handle his chemical composition inside their bodies and they went crazy and died in terrible ways, their bodies melted or completely disfigured. Sometimes the symbiote died too. _Symbiote._ That’s what I.M was in the human world, like an alien.

I.M had also been to Israel inside a man from the army, where he had learned to fight and take all the advantages of being inside a human body. So that Jooheon had all those skills with him now, ready to fight anyone.

“But why are you still inside me? You’ve been living with more interesting people, with interesting lives. I’m just a nowhere boy trying to make a living out of rap, my life is everything but thrilling.”

_Who says I’m looking for thrill? We bonded by destiny; we share everything._

And every time Jooheon felt like asking why I.M was still with him he got similar replies, but he had started to consider I.M as a friend. Maybe that was Stockholm syndrome or something but hell, he now enjoyed not being all by himself. Even though sometimes he wondered if he would ever be able to jerk off again. That’s something you only do in private.

Still, I.M was a great help; whenever he felt like writing lyrics I.M was really creative, and he ended up writing things he had never thought about, even using foreign words. They had long conversations about how to make a song better, what kind of rhyme, what kind of rhythm should they used, the tempo, everything, it was like talking with an improved version of himself, even though sometimes they fought about it.

Moreover, one-day I.M. had made him climb a wall! It was late at night when the subway closed, and he had forgotten his money to take a cab. Then I.M. had taken control and transformed him into that black and scary creature. He had been able to travel the whole city by hanging from roofs. It had been awesome. Later, when he had looked at his reflection on the mirror, it wasn't that scary anymore. Those long fangs and long tongue and white eyes felt familiar. He was starting to recognize I.M as a part of him now.

 

_Who are we meeting with now?_

“Minhyuk! He is my best friend.” Jooheon was walking toward the subway station to meet with Minhyuk after two weeks of no contact. They always met at least once a week, so maybe Minhyuk would be sulky. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and comfy pants, just casual swag style by I.M. recommendation.

_Wasn’t your best friend the doctor from the other day?_

“Yes, but I like Minhyuk the most. We can trust him.” Jooheon whispered as the lady walking beside him looked at him with suspicion.

_Are you telling him about us?_

“Just if he finds it out.” Jooheon took out his headphones from his sweatshirt and put them on in case he needed to talk with I.M, so that he’d avoid looking like crazy speaking alone and would pretend to talk on the phone. He knew Minhyuk would notice something was different about him; that guy sometimes knew him better than himself.

Minhyuk was leaning on a call box by the entrance of the subway, scrolling through his phone when he caught a glimpse of Jooheon and smiled widely. Jooheon’s heart rate speeded up and smiled back, his eyes became two narrowed lines and dimples on his cheeks lighted up his face.  

“Joohoney!” Minhyuk wrapped him with his arms in a warm embrace, then pulled him apart abruptly. “Why haven't you called me before?”

“Oh I was sick, I’m sorry.” Jooheon apologized, he wanted to spit the whole story for once, but he needed time. He hadn’t called Minhyuk before because he didn’t want him to see him like a walking mess.

They walked together as Minhyuk was telling him about his hard week doubling turns at the coffee shop and how his favorite TV show was about to finish, but Jooheon couldn’t concentrate, he was deep lost in his thoughts, where not even I.M could see.

“Are you listening?”

“Ah yes yes. Sorry I just need a cigarette.” He pulled off from his sweatshirt a pack of his favorite brand and lighted one as he held it between his lips. He was feeling anxious. He wanted to tell Minhyuk but he didn't want him to worry.

“You’re nervous. Is there something you want to tell me?” Minhyuk narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Jooheon, trying to see through his eyes, right into his soul.

“I…” Jooheon was about to speak when his phone began to ring inside his pocket. He excused himself and answered the call, but Minhyuk was kept on looking askance at him.

“Jooheon I got news.” It was his manager. His voice sounded excited.

“What?”

“5 words, Rap battle at Rodeo tomorrow!!!”

“Whaaa-?” Jooheon stood up from his seat, jaw dropping open and excitement running through his veins.

“What is it?” Minhyuk whispered.

“Oh my god, how?” he stuttered on the phone. Rodeo was one of the most famous places for rising artists, once you get a chance to give a show at Rodeo the next step was to release your own mixtape and then who knows, just fame would await you.

“One of the producers who saw you the other night called me and told me he wants you in, so you need to go and do your magic like the last time.”

_That sounds great._

“So what time?”

“8 pm.”

“Thank you, for real.” Jooheon didn’t know what else to say, he couldn’t believe it.

“Just come and do your best, don’t let me down, okay?”

“No way I’d fail you. Thanks!” He hung up the call and looked at Minhyuk, exited.

“What happened?” Minhyuk asked.

“I’m having a rap battle tomorrow at Rodeo. Rodeo!”

“Oh my God! Really?” They both held hands and started to jump like little kids.

_Can you stop? You’re embarrassing yourself._

“Sorry.” Jooheon stopped bopping and released Minhyuk's hands. He didn’t know if that had been him or I.M. “I gotta go, I need to rehearse my songs for tomorrow.”

“Sure! Go ahead, good luck! But we haven’t finished talking” Minhyuk patted him on his shoulder and smiled softly at him. Jooheon smiled back and walked away.

“I know, see you!”

 

_What was that?_

“What?”

_Nevermind._

“Ugh?”

_Do you wanna go by climbing? It’ll be faster._

“Hell yeah.”

Jooheon ran to a lonely alley and let I.M take control over his body, but it wasn’t complete control anymore, it felt as if he was summoning him from the deepest of his body.

 

Meanwhile, a slender man was looking from afar, impressed by the shadow he had watched climbing a building and disappearing into the dark night sky. What a coincidence! “I’ve found him.” He smiled for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally decided to continue this story! It will be a short story tho. You can wait for a 3rd chapter, but I'll see how this works, and maybe I'd post special episodes if you want to.  
> Hope you liked it!


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